Stress and fear are two branches of the same tree of feelings.  We turn negative and start to overthink about negative outcomes.  This is all to get us out of our balance in lifestyle.  For me, my breathing becomes  shallow and I loose energy when this happens.

I´ve learned to use breathing to get through these stressful moments.  One type of exercise that I like to do is “breath of fire” and stems from Kundalini yoga.

To get the breath of fire you need to create a rhythmic breath in and out of the nose.  It is like you are deep sniffing all the time.  This relates to my earlier blog about breathing.  When relaxing your diaphragm the breath comes out.

When you inhale, extend your diaphragm. Then when you exhale you release your breath out of your nose. Once you have found the right rhythm, you can increase the pace of breathing. It then becomes the breath of fire.

Sometimes people focus to much on the exhale. Remember it is just as  important to inhale. The exhale and inhale should be equal. As long as you relax your diaphragm.

Try to practice the breath of fire, you will release tension from the diaphragm. At the same time  you will release emotional tension.

The benefits are many. You increase the flow of oxygen to your bloodstream. It stimulates the energy flow. It stimulates pituitary gland (aligning other glands as well). Finally, it strengthens your electro magnetic field so you become a magnet for success.

One minute of breath of fire is all you need.  It equals the benefit of one hour of the same pose with the normal breath.

Use the breath of fire whenever you feel that overwhelming stress or bad emotions are coming over you.  Try it before a big meeting or personal date. Try it before any event or encounter where you want to keep your presence and power at your greatest.